SandboxAQ, the quantum technology company spun off from Alphabet, has announced plans to harness large quantitative artificial intelligence models (LQMs) to help the UAE export its expertise in key sectors globally. The California-based company identifies biotechnology, finance, energy, and logistics as sectors that stand to gain significantly from LQMs and is currently in the early stages of developing customer relationships in the Emirates.
Jack Hidary, the CEO of SandboxAQ, noted that the UAE economy has a vital role for LQMs, particularly in enhancing its industrial innovation and driving advancements in healthcare and technology. “There is so much great activity in the UAE and so many companies interested in [LQMs],” he said in an interview with The National in Dubai. “The bigger applications for the UAE are really on the quantitative AI side.”
LQMs are advanced AI systems designed to analyze, process, and generate quantitative data, as opposed to natural language models that power generative AI. For instance, the LQM of SandboxAQ’s AQBioSim platform is engineered for drug discovery and is trained using physics-based technology to create entirely new molecules with desired properties.
“Word-based AI is trained only on the words of the internet. If it’s not on the internet, it doesn’t know it,” Hidary explained. “We produce data in a very different way, from actual equations. We don’t take any data from the internet, so [LQMs] are fundamentally different AI.”
By tapping into LQMs, UAE companies will be able to create various intellectual properties in fields such as biotechnology, materials, and new energy, which will enhance the economy and expand the nation’s global capabilities. Hidary emphasized the potential for the UAE to become a creator of biotech intellectual property, which could significantly benefit the nation’s economy.
“The IP produced from our software is owned by the customer, making it an IP-generating machine for them, which can enhance the value of the UAE’s exportable assets,” he stated.
LQMs are also expected to provide significant time and cost savings for governments and enterprises, in addition to improving product quality. “Using LQMs to calculate what a new drug might be allows us to explore a much larger potential drug space than humans ever could on their own,” Hidary said.
In early 2023, SandboxAQ raised $500 million, boosting its valuation to approximately $4 billion, according to industry tracker Pitchbook. The company is not seeking additional investments in the near future, focusing instead on product development, customer acquisition, and team expansion.
Founded in 2016 by Hidary as a moonshot quantum unit at Alphabet, SandboxAQ became an independent entity in 2022 with backing from investors including T Rowe Price, Breyer Capital, and Guggenheim Partners, alongside former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who serves as chairman.
SandboxAQ aims to lead the third quantum revolution—preceded by nuclear and laser technologies—delivering critical advancements across sectors such as life sciences, financial services, navigation, and cybersecurity. While large language models (LLMs) serve specific purposes, Hidary asserts that LQMs are better suited for substantial sectors of the economy, representing a much larger business-to-business market.
“They will serve many more people than LLMs in the business world. From a B2B perspective, it’s a much bigger market, probably 50 times larger,” he noted.
LQMs also provide greater resilience and security compared to LLMs, addressing concerns regarding the responsible use of AI. “LQMs are trained on the equations of reality—physics, chemistry, and biology—and that gives them a tremendous advantage in creating IP, value, medicines, and diagnostic machines, which are critical challenges,” Hidary added.
While some suggest pausing AI development, he argues the opposite for LQMs, stating, “It is irresponsible not to use AI because it can bring so many positive benefits to humans.”
